Control4 Home Automation — Overview
What Is Control4?
Control4 is a professional home automation platform that integrates and controls all the systems in a property from a single, unified interface. Wilsons has been an authorised Control4 dealer and installer since 2014.
Unlike consumer smart home platforms (Alexa, Google Home, Apple HomeKit), Control4 is an engineered system programmed by a trained dealer using Composer software. It is reliable, scalable, and capable of integrating virtually any third-party system through a library of thousands of drivers.
What Control4 Can Control
A Control4 system can integrate and control:
- Lighting — whole-property dimming and scene control (Control4 dimmers, or via Rako/Lutron integration)
- Audio and video — multi-room audio, AV source distribution, TV and projector control
- Heating and climate — thermostat control (Heatmiser, Nest, etc.), underfloor heating zones
- Security and access — alarm arming/disarming (Texecom), door entry (Hikvision intercom), gate and garage control
- CCTV — live camera view on touchscreens and the Control4 app
- Blinds and curtains — motorised blind and curtain control
- Door locks — smart lock integration
- EV chargers — monitoring and scheduling
- Garden and exterior — external lighting, gate automation, irrigation
Everything is controlled from Control4 touchscreens, keypads, the Control4 app (iOS/Android), or voice (Amazon Alexa integration built in).
Scale — Small to Large
Control4 is not just for large properties. The same platform scales from a single room to a multi-building estate:
| Scale | Typical setup |
|---|---|
| Apartment / small house | Single controller (EA-1), a few lighting circuits, multi-room audio, intercom |
| Family home | EA-3 or CA-10 controller, full lighting, multi-room AV, heating integration, security |
| Large residential / estate | Multiple controllers, extensive AV distribution, full building integration, Control4 rack |
| Commercial / hospitality | Enterprise controllers, room management, guest experience automation |
Core System Components
| Component | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Controller (EA-1, EA-3, CA-10) | The brain — runs Composer OS, manages all drivers and automation |
| Composer HE / Pro | The programming software — used by the dealer to configure and customise the system |
| Touchscreens (T3, T4 series) | In-wall or tabletop touchscreens for local control |
| Keypads | Programmable physical buttons for scene control at each room |
| Dimmers and switches | Control4 in-wall lighting dimmers for native integration |
| Drivers | Software modules that allow Control4 to communicate with third-party devices (Heatmiser, Texecom, Hikvision, Rako, etc.) |
| Control4 App | Customer-facing iOS/Android app for remote and in-home control |
Programming — Composer
Control4 systems are programmed using Composer HE (homeowner editing — limited) or Composer Pro (full dealer programming). All Wilsons systems are programmed in Composer Pro.
Composer programming is a specialist skill — hands-on training is delivered separately. This document is an overview only. For programming reference, use the Control4 Dealer Portal and Composer documentation.
Integration With Other Wilsons Systems
Control4 integrates directly with the systems Wilsons installs:
- Heatmiser Neo — driver available; thermostats controllable from Control4 touchscreens and app
- Texecom Premier Elite — driver available; arm/disarm from Control4; status visible on touchscreens
- Hikvision — camera feeds viewable on Control4 touchscreens; intercom integration
- Rako lighting — native Control4–Rako driver; Rako scenes controllable from Control4
- Sonos / multi-room audio — native driver; full Control4 control of Sonos zones